Better Late Than Never
by vcg73
Summary: Ezra is a few days late for Christmas.


Hello! It's been almost a year since I last wrote a Mag7 fic, so just for the heck of it I decided to depart from my usual "Glee" fandom to write this one for old time's sake. I hope you will enjoy it, even though it's after Christmas and I'm probably a little rusty.

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As he approached the saloon where he knew his fellow peacekeepers would be residing at their usual evening table, Ezra Standish brushed a hand over the deep green vest that he had chosen to complement his crisp white shirt and matching green tie. To anyone else it would appear that he was simply smoothing wrinkles from the material. Only Ezra knew that he was actually attempting to calm the swirl of butterflies fluttering through his stomach.

Pausing at the door to the saloon, he peeked inside and confirmed that everyone was present and accounted for. It appeared that Buck was just winding up one of his tall tales, for he was grinning in satisfaction while the other five were alternately chuckling into their glasses or rolling their eyes in exasperation. Both, in Nathan's case.

Ezra hitched his left shoulder, repositioning the sack he carried over it and wondering again if this was a good idea or an incredibly stupid one. He didn't have much experience with this. What if everyone mistook his gesture of goodwill for bribery or an attempt to show off? Normally he wouldn't have minded the latter. He _did_ like to show off, and he made no secret of that, but this was different.

His nervous deliberation ended abruptly when JD spotted him and belted out, "Come on in, Ezra! Welcome home! Join the party!" in a voice that could probably be heard clearly by the residents of Eagle Bend. Apparently, young Mr. Dunne had been sampling more than just the food this evening.

"Gentlemen," he greeted, making his way inside. "My apologies for being tardy. I just got in a few moments ago and had an errand to finish before I could join you."

"Some kind of errand that needed a gunny sack?"

Ezra smiled at Josiah's interest. "Indeed. As you all know, due to an unbreakable promise to join my mother in San Francisco for this holiday season, I was unable to be present for the local festivities." He set his burden gently on the table top, trying to keep the contents from jostling and giving away their identity. "To that end, I took the liberty of obtaining a few odds and ends to express my appreciation for your company and fellowship over the past year."

Buck translated the statement first, his face lighting up with childlike glee. "You brought us Christmas presents!"

A smile that surprised the others with its uncertainty appeared. "Is that all right?"

Vin looked dismayed. "Sure, but I ain't got anything to give you back. Since you coudn't spend Christmas with us, I was figurin' on just buyin' you a few drinks when you got back."

"I see nothing wrong with that," Ezra told him. He was a little surprised that anyone had even considered the matter, since they had been aware he would be missing the holiday. "In fact, I very much appreciate your consideration."

"What consideration?" Vin scoffed. "I bought drinks for everybody. You really think I was just gonna leave you out in the cold?"

Ezra smiled toothily. "I would never accuse you of such a thing," he said smoothly, not about to reveal that he had expected exactly that. After all, a lifetime of experience did support the notion. He shook the sack. "However, if nobody is interested in these items, I suppose I could just sell…"

He laughed when Buck shot out a hand and grabbed the sack, hugging it possessively. "Hell, if they don't want a bag full of free loot, I'll sure as hell take it!"

A playful tug-of-war ensued, nobody putting too much pressure on the sack since they did not know whether or not the contents might be breakable. The clinking noises that rose from within suggested booze and nobody wanted to risk breaking what would almost certainly prove to be top-grade hooch.

As soon as Ezra regained possession, JD's patience proved to have reached its end. "So, when do we get to see what's in there?"

"Now," Ezra decided, loosening the rope closure and working the top of the sack down to show off its contents. There were six packages, each festively wrapped in a different color of paper and six bottles of expensive liquor, each bedecked with a matching colored ribbon around its neck. He handed them out quickly, having memorized which color was meant for which friend.

Josiah eyed the label on his bourbon and whistled. "This is the good stuff."

Ezra replied airily, "Well, it would hardly be a proper gift if I'd simply handed over a bottle of that cheap furniture polish you normally imbibe." Smirking, he told them, "In those bottles, you will find the very best brands of scotch, bourbon, rum, cognac, brandy and port on the market. I suggest that you use small vessels to imbibe these fine potables and sample the variety amongst yourselves. If I accomplish nothing else through this act of foolish generosity, I might at least encourage a modicum of refinement to your badly deprived palates."

"So, you want us to share?" Vin said after a moment of mental translation.

"I believe that is the general idea," Ezra agreed. "However, if you wish to selfishly hoard your gift, I cannot stop you. The bottles are out of my hands and therefore, the contents now belong entirely to yourselves to do with as you see fit. The same can be said of the second item in each of your possessions."

Reminded that there were more goodies to be had, the six men set aside their liquor bottles and tore eagerly into the colorful packages.

"Wow, these are beautiful, Ezra," Nathan blurted, eyes widening as he rolled out a set of brand new medical field instruments. "These'll come in handy for sure. Thank you!"

"You're quite welcome, Mr. Jackson. I could not help noticing how worn your old set is becoming through its unfortunately frequent use. Your favorite scalpel has become so worn from repeated sharpening that it is little more than a nub. It was high time you had another. However you'll forgive me if I say that I hope this is the last I see of them."

He laughed. "I can't blame you for that."

Josiah grunted with interest at his gift, a thick book entitled, "The Lives of the Saints".

"That volume is what one might call a multi-cultural oddity," Ezra told him. "It appears to cover about a thousand years of combined myth, fact and pure speculation from a wide variety of nations and cultures. I spotted it in a little bookstore just off the waterfront and could not resist the purchase."

"I'm glad you didn't," he said, already half lost in the pages. "This looks fascinating. Thank you, brother. I appreciate you thinking of me. Nathan and I were planning to offer you a thorough brush, wash, comb and curry for Chaucer for your Christmas present, but that hardly seems adequate after seeing these."

Ezra beamed. "On the contrary, I would considerer that an excellent exchange. And perhaps you'll be good enough to loan me your new literary tome if the contents prove worthy of entertainment."

"Of course," he said, barely listening anymore as he became involved in a particular page.

Vin punched the gambler in the arm, just hard enough to get his attention. Holding up the finely stitched leather coat he had pulled from his package, he said, "This is nice, Ezra. Reckon I'll cut a real fancy figure the next time a special occasion comes along."

"There's no need to wait for a special occasion," he protested. "I deliberately chose a heavy, durable piece of leather that will stand up to all manner of weather. It's been double-stitched and waterproofed and worked to be as soft as butter, and I made sure to select something in a style that I know you favor.  
You'll find that it's also lined with sheepskin on the inside for added warmth. I noticed you shivering the last time snow flew and felt that you could use an alternate to your usual outdoor attire."

He nodded. "Reckon my old one is gettin' a mite worn. Ain't surprising, since I had it for a good ten years or more. This'll be a right fine substitute."

Ezra breathed a sigh of relief. He had half-feared that his proud friend would take offense at the offer to replace his beat-up old hide coat. He turned to JD and Buck, who both interestedly examining their new possessions. "I suppose I must apologize for getting the two of you matching gifts," he told them, "but I  
honestly could not make up my mind which of you would be better suited by this."

The wooden carrying cases were filled with games. Checkers, chess, pinochle, backgammon, card games, dice, dominos and even jacks. The sets were clearly designed with boys of all ages in mind and he had known the moment he laid eyes on them that they were perfect for his two enthusiastically childlike friends.

"This is great!" JD yelled, grabbing his hand and shaking it vigorously in both of his own. Ezra's lips twitched, noting the usually bright color in his cheeks and the huge pupils that centered his wide hazel eyes. Oh, yes, JD had definitely been hitting the hard stuff tonight. "Do you know how to play all  
these, Ezra? Can you teach me? Huh? Can you?"

Buck's dark blue eyes were dancing with amusement. "Couple of these I ain't familiar with either," he said, "but I'm willing to learn as long as you didn't give these out as a way to take all our money. That wouldn't be very Christmas-like, especially if you want that fancy dinner me and JD were gonna spring for as your present next time we go to Eagle Bend."

Eagle Bend was bit more progressive than Four Corners and boasted six restaurants ranging from a simple coffee shop to a very fancy steak-house. Ezra was pleased and surprised. "I would be honored to accept," he said, "and while I don't promise to leave you entirely flush in the course of your education, I would be pleased to offer instruction on any game of your choosing."

"Sounds like the best offer you're likely to get," Chris chuckled when Buck looked a bit suspicious, searching the offer for signs of a trap. Holding up the pistol Ezra had given him, Chris said, "This is a mighty nice piece, Ezra. I appreciate it."

He nodded back. "It's the very latest model from Smith & Wesson. Given the degree of complaint that we've all been subjected to ever since your usual sidearm came back from the repair shop, I felt that perhaps you might appreciate an alternate model."

The blond man shot him a slightly venomous look, then abruptly laughed. "Reckon I have been a mite vocal about it, considering that Josiah and Buck also got me new guns for Christmas. Not that I can't use another," he added quickly, seeing Ezra's pleased look falter. Admiring the long, sleek barrel, he looked down the site and checked the action, nodding to himself. "No sir, this beauty is just what I needed. Let me know the next time you get those peacock feathers stirred up by the sight of a fancy new jacket in one of the mail-order catalogues. That's what I'm giving you for Christmas."

He shot Ezra a second hard look that all but ordered him not to go overboard with his choice and Ezra simply smiled and gave him a small salute. Promises of food, liquor, grooming services for his horse and a new addition to his wardrobe. They were not solid gifts that he could hold in his hands, but these  
six were all honorable men and they would follow through. Not a bad haul, for a man who had expected nothing.

"I count myself most fortunate to be able to count you all as friends, gentlemen," he said, raising the glass of whiskey that Inez had brought him somewhere during the celebration. "A very happy holiday to you all."

"Merry Christmas, Ezra," echoed around the table as drinks were likewise raised to him and knocked back with a relish.

Rubbing his hands together, Ezra whipped out a fresh deck of cards from what appeared to be thin air, flashing a wicked smile at all of them as he raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Can I interest anyone in a game?"

"Sure!" JD blasted, latching his new games closed and setting them on the floor beside him. "You gotta tell us all about San Francisco. Did you do anything fun with your Ma? Did you see one of them streetcar things I been hearing about? Did you see any of them big theater shows they got all over town? Hey, you didn't get shanghaied did you?"

"Well since he's sittin' right here talking to us, I'm pretty sure he ain't on no slow boat to China, kid," Buck chuckled, shaking his head at his cheerfully inebriated friend. "I would like to hear about some of those pretty ladies, though, Ez."

He chuckled. "Of course, Mr. Wilmington. Of course. As a matter of fact…"

Everyone else set aside their presents, Josiah most reluctantly, and Chris ordered a set of empty shot glasses so that their new liquid banquet could be sampled as they played. Soon laughter and conversation was flowing freely, along with booze and cash, as Ezra began to spin his tales, egged on by eager questions and a few hair-raising anecdotes from the others as they enjoyed their evening, the circle of seven complete once again.

THE END

(Reviews are always welcome!)


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